St.Bartholomew’s, Holmer, Hereford

The stone tower dates from the 13th Century
and the timber framed top was added between 1550 - 1600 (the reign of Elizabeth
I).

The oldest surviving bell, the fourth, was founded
about 1410 in Worcester, and we know that there was a ring of five by 1552. A
sixth was added in 1609.

We do not know with any accuracy what happened to the
bells during the Ages, but there were only five bells at the beginning of this
century, and the treble, the lightest bell in any tower, was added as recently
as 1923 in memory of Rev FH Tuke.

No.

Cast

Weight

Bellfounder

Inscription

1

1923

3-3-10

Mears and Stainbank

Francis H. Tuke C.F. Vicar of Holmer 1908-1916

2

1609

4-1-6

John Green, Hereford

God Bles Our Noball King James

3

1628

4-3-8

John Finch, Hereford

To God alone be honour and glory

4

~1410

6-0-1

Unknown, Worcester

I have the name Gabriel sent from heaven

5

1626

8-0-5

Thomas Hancox, Walsall

Thomas Hancox made me 1626: Glory to God in the highest

6

1626

10-1-12

Thomas Hancox, Walsall

My Roaring Sound Doth Warning Give That Men Cannot Always Here Live

The peal is tuned to the key of G (773Hz)

Ringers consider the 4th to be the "best"
bell in the ring.

The back five bells are protected and cannot be
modified without Central Council consent.

The 3rd and 6th (tenor) bells
were retuned during the Millennium refurbishment project.

The 3rd had 6lbs of metal turned off,
whilst our tenor had 25lbs removed. In spite of the removal of metal, the
tenor’s true weight was highlighted and it was returned to our tower having
"gained" over 1cwt.

Tower rings are normally rated by the weight of the
tenor, but it is the overall sound that is crucial to the listener and the
ultimate mark of enjoyment.